


The Hansen approach to romance (involves more yelling than you'd think)

by estei



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Kaiju, Chuck is an angry turtle, Dog park meet-cute, Fanart, Holiday Fic Exchange, M/M, Mako gives good advice, Max is a good dog, Pacific Rim Holiday Swap 2017, Raleigh is kinda clueless, Shenanigans, Swooning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 01:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13224957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/estei/pseuds/estei
Summary: There's a new face at the dog park and Chuck is not impressed.Not by his pert arse, or his baby blue eyes.There will be no swooning, damnit.





	The Hansen approach to romance (involves more yelling than you'd think)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gothams_Only_Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/gifts).



> For Gothams_Only_Wolf for the Pacific Rim Holiday Exchange on Tumblr! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Bonus fan art done by my amazing little sister can be found on my Tumblr here: http://bit.ly/2ClB5mw

In hindsight, maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea. 

But it was really hard to argue with the results. 

And at this point Chuck was starting to think that half-cocked decisions that turned out heaps better than they had any right to was something of a Hansen tradition. For example, when Mako had suggested that Chuck was putting too much pressure on himself in his third year of uni his old man had responded by dropping a dog shaped pile of wrinkles on his actual doorstep. Even Stacker had seemed dubious of this approach, worrying that adding the not insignificant responsibility of a puppy would prove overwhelming. In fact, as Herc liked to frequently remind the doubters, it had turned out brilliantly, and having a puppy to focus on had done wonders for Chuck’s anxiety and his schoolwork hadn’t suffered at all. There had been a few unforeseen benefits, too. Certainly Chuck hadn’t expected that he would become part of a vibrant little community at the nearby dog park, but with Max literally pulling him along as he gamboled around the park, making friends with a determined intensity it had been impossible to remain aloof. While at first it had seemed an annoying necessity (because there was no way Chuck would deny his pup a chance to socialize and exercise) Chuck came to love the community aspect of the dog park, a rag-tag group of neighbors of varying ages and professions who had nothing but canine companions in common. It turned out to be a compelling social bond. 

But Chuck was still Chuck, and so when an unfamiliar face started coming around he didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat. 

“You wouldn’t believe this bloody idiot, Mako,” Chuck grumbled, perhaps taking a bit too much satisfaction from the _thunk_ of the knife on the cutting block as he chopped carrots, if the way Mako eyed him was any indication. Of course, she it was even more likely that she was watching to ensure that he was following her directions on the exact dimensions requested for her stew. Chuck wasn’t the only one in the family with a bit of a control issue. 

“Hmm, so you have said. Many times.” Mako said, and though her tone was mild, deliberately so no doubt, Chuck couldn’t help but puff up in response. 

“I can’t help it! He’s a damned menace, but even Nigel thinks the sun shines out of his arse. Nigel!” Chuck wasn’t sure he was properly conveying the sheer scale of the issue at hand, but even Mako should be able to recognize that getting Nigel’s approval was a near impossible feat. It had taken Chuck almost a year to get into the old man’s good graces, though in the privacy of his own mind he could admit that he may have instigated that particular situation, and an even smaller part of him conceded that the arse in question was very…. Nice. Nice and pert and attached to some very fine thighs and watching the stupid seppo crouch and squat as he tried and failed to corral his cute but completely untrained mutt… 

“If he has been welcomed by everyone else perhaps you could try talking to him,” Mako suggested, and Chuck blushed as he was jolted out of his mental appreciation of the assets of his newfound nemesis. The corner of Mako’s mouth lifted in the barest hint of a smirk, and Chuck blushed even harder. There were many times that Chuck had been convinced that his step-sister could read his mind, and this was definitely one such moment. 

“Christ, you haven’t even met the bastard and you’re on his side, too.” Chuck grumbled, trying to cover his momentary lapse, and sorry that there were no more carrots to decimate. He was surprised, but not startled, by design no doubt, when Mako laid a hand on his wrist. He glanced up and met her gaze, finding all the mirth gone from her eyes. 

“No. I am always on your side.” 

Chuck swallowed, hard, and thought that if he blushed any harder he was likely to pop something. He took a breath, pushing down his immediate reaction to step away, to get some space for her sincerity, and finally nodded. Of course Mako, knowing him like she did, gave a small smile and nodded in return, stepping back now that her expression of loyalty had been received. 

“Though on your side does not mean I cannot offer you my advice,” she said primly, returning her attention to the stock pot on the stove, stirring the simmering broth. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Chuck said. “I wouldn’t expect any less, O wise one.” 

Mako laughed, and shook her wooden spoon in his direction in mock indignation. 

“You should be grateful,” she said. “Now, tell me more about this menace. Is he very handsome?” 

“What, Mako!” Chuck spluttered with outrage, and not a small amount of embarrassment at having been caught out so easily. “I am trying to express my very legitimate, er, concerns about his, just his… everything.” 

“His everything?” Mako wasn’t even trying to hide her smile anymore, and coming from anyone else, Chuck would have snapped. But this was Mako, so instead he just tried to bluster his way through. 

“You know what I mean, ya hag.” He huffed. “Now, I was promised a delicious meal for my troubles so don’t you go burning that stew.” 

“I would never!” Mako straightened in affront, but just as Chuck expected her attention was diverted back to the stock pot in front of her. 

And as much as Chuck would have liked to blame Mako for what happened the next day, he was confident he could make a case that her needling had primed him for a fight, in his heart he knew he could only blame himself. Well, and the fine arsed seppo. 

***

Chuck was a bit… particular, in most things, but especially when it came to Max. Once he’d realized that his father was not in fact playing some sort of deranged practical joke and that the bulldog puppy was actually _his_ , well, he’d dedicated himself to that little pile of wrinkles completely. He had diligently trained the little pup and researched the best possible foods, toys, and comforts for Max and then procured them immediately. Max was generally a happy, uncomplicated dog, and Chuck tried not to be a helicopter parent, a term he had only become familiar with after Kate the beagle mom had suggested, quite tartly, might apply to him, but he was protective, and often demonstrated that through aggression. 

Whatever, it was the Australian way, and Kate and Nigel could shove it. 

So when the blond drongo with the fine arse and gorgeous blue eyes showed up again with his rowdy mutt and the damn thing bowled Max over as she charged after a damn squirrel, well, Chuck may have lost his temper. 

To be honest, his heart damn near stopped when poor Max hit the ground with a wheezing groan, and he’d immediately dropped down to check on him, barely aware of the apologies the seppo was sputtering as he wrestled his mutt away from the oak tree. As soon as Chuck had ascertained that Max was unhurt, Chuck damn near exploded out of his crouch and unleashed on the bloke. 

“Oi, you great bloody maniac, I’ve had it with you and your mutt charging around here,” he snarled, so worked up he didn’t back down an inch when he saw how taken aback the other man was. The shock didn’t last long though, and the contrite expression on the handsome face dropped away pretty quickly. He straightened as much as he could whilst maintaining a solid grip on his dog’s collar and met Chuck’s scowl with one of his own. 

“I’m sorry about what happened, but you don’t need to be such an ass about it.” 

“Listen here, mate, if there’s an ass in this situation it’s you. If you can’t control your dog you shouldn’t be here.” Chuck snarled, and maybe he was coming on a little tough, but he wasn’t wrong, either. A poorly behaved dog was a danger to itself and others, and it was the responsibility of an owner to know when a dog wasn’t ready to socialize at a park. 

“Okay, wow,” the bloke rolled his eyes, “I didn’t realize you’d been appointed the mayor of this dog park, but no one else seems to mind.”

“Sorry I don’t swoon when you bat your eyes in my direction, mate.” Chuck sniffed, not even bothering to acknowledge the mayor crack. He was on the side of right, goddamnit. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” the blond’s ire seemed to drop fractionally in favor of genuine confusion. He looked upward, sighed, and then back down at his dog, which dropped tidily to her rump and looked back up at him with a doggy smile. It was kind of cute. 

“Look, I am sorry. I know she’s kind of a handful but I really thought we were making progress with the whole squirrel chasing thing.” 

Well… that was fair. She had been getting better, more reliable with her recall command, and she’d never been aggressive with any of the other dogs, just a bit of a nuisance as she careened around, and Chuck was definitely still _right_ , but maybe not as right as he’d thought. 

“Uh,” Chuck said, and scratched the bridge of his nose. Max was panting happily at his feet, completely unbothered by the scenario playing out above his head, and it was getting really hard to hang onto that righteous indignation. “I suppose she has been better,” he allowed. 

“I don’t, uh, entirely know what I’m doing.” The bloke admitted, still awkwardly bent over. His dog only came up to just over his knees, and she was a lithe little thing, definitely smaller in frame than Max, even though they were a similar height. She was a handsome thing, too, some kind of husky mix he’d gathered, with a coat that was a mix of white and brown brindle. “I adopted her last month and I’ve done a few sessions with a trainer but she’s my first dog, and-“ He stopped abruptly and Chuck was mesmerized as a flush spread across his cheeks. “And you don’t need to hear all of this. God, I really am sorry. Is Max okay?” 

“Yeah,” Chuck cleared his throat. It was fairly obvious the good natured bulldog was totally nonplussed by the experience, though it was kind of the bloke to ask. “Well, I may have… over reacted. I’m a bit protective of him.” 

“You care about him,” the bloke smiled warmly, “And you obviously trained him really well. I, uh, saw you guys doing tricks last week, that’s pretty awesome. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there with Bonny.” 

“Sure you will, mate. You just gotta put the time in, be consistent.” Chuck paused for a moment, mentally debating whether or not it would be wise to prolong the interaction, “Listen, when I was training Max I followed a training guide and used a clicker, I still have them, if you want I could bring them to you sometime.” 

“That would be great! Thank you so much, Chuck.” 

Chuck felt a jolt as his name passed those very kissable lips, and then his stomach rolled as he realized that he didn’t know the bloke’s name. Fuck, this was embarrassing. And maybe the seppo could read minds as well as Mako, but he immediately seemed to sense the issue. 

“Oh, ha, Nigel told me who you are, but we haven’t been introduced. I’m Raleigh,” the bloke offered, and Chuck desperately wanted to roll his eyes, Jesus Christ what was it with Americans and their hipster names, but managed to refrain. He didn’t want to start another fight so soon. 

“Raleigh,” he said, hoping he hadn’t mangled the pronunciation too badly with his accent. “Pleasure to meet ya.” 

And despite his many protestations to Mako, and Herc, and Stacker, and the cashier at PetSmart one time, Chuck found that he was legitimately pleased, and that feeling only increased as he and Raleigh got to know each other, and as he got to know Bonny. As they grew closer Chuck came to enjoy the pup’s mischievous attitude, and as the dog part meet ups progressed to café’s, and restaurants, and movie theatres Chuck found himself increasingly unable to imagine his life without a certain blue eyed menace. 

And so one quiet morning, as Chuck tried to eke out some space in a bed crowded by his handsy boyfriend and two equally snuggly dogs, he smiled fondly when Raleigh tipped his face in his direction. He knew the bloke well enough by now to sense he was up to something, some kind of silly mischief, and when Raleigh murmured his name he hmm’d in response. 

“Remember when we first met,” Raleigh asked, nudging a sleeping Bonny further down the bed as he cuddled closer. Chuck huffed out a laugh and closed his eyes as Raleigh’s hand reached out to touch his hip. 

“Hard to forget when some drongo’s unruly dog turns poor Max arse over teakettle.” Chuck said, laughing when Raleigh’s gentle touch turned into a quick pinch of his hip. 

“Such a charmer, Hansen,” he teased. 

“Knowing you like I do now, kinda surprised you didn’t try and clock me one,” Chuck said. 

“Oh, I definitely thought about it,” Raleigh agreed, “I was working up to a real fight, and then you said something so weird it took the wind right outta my sails.” 

“What?” Chuck opened his eyes now, and turned to his gaze to Raleigh in question. “You mean the part where I called you a menace? Cuz that’s still true, love, and not weird at all.” 

“No,” Raleigh smirked, and leaned in for a lingering kiss that Chuck was helpless to deny. He made a sound that was definitely not a whimper when Raleigh pulled away. “You said you weren’t going to swoon over my eyes.”

And Chuck didn’t know how to respond because, well, that did sound kind of weird, and he wanted to deny it, but had a vivid and very embarrassing memory of saying something to that effect. 

“Ah,” he said finally. “I dunno, sounds pretty smooth to me.” 

“Well it definitely gave me the idea that in a scenario not involving Max getting bowled over you might be friendlier to me.” Raleigh conceded, leaning in for another kiss. 

“I guess you weren’t wrong about that,” Chuck murmured, hooking an arm around Raleigh’s waist to pull him closer. The dogs grumbled and huffed and rearranged themselves at the foot of the bed, out of the way of the cuddling humans above them, and Chuck sank back down into the pillows, drowsing with Raleigh pressed close. 

_Yup,_ he thought, _the Hansen tradition of half-cocked ideas triumphs again._


End file.
